 infobox monster name orc image orc gif climate any land freq common organization tribe activity night diet carnivore int average 8-9 treasure l c o qx10 s align le number 30-300 ac 6 10 move 9 12 hd 1 thac0 19 numatt 1 dmg 1-8 by weapon sa nil sd nil sw sunlight mr nil size m 6' tall morale steady 11-12 xp 15 source mm281 special_desc sw &ndash; orcs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight orcs or euroz are a species of aggressive mammalian carnivores that band together in tribes and survive by hunting and raiding orcs believe that in order to survive they must expand their territory and so they are constantly involved in wars against many enemies humans elves dwarves goblins and other orc tribes orcs vary widely in appearance as they frequently crossbreed with other species in general they resemble primitive humans with grey-green skin covered with coarse hair orcs have a slightly stooped posture a low jutting forehead and a snout instead of a nose though comparisons between this facial feature and those of pigs are exaggerated and perhaps unfair orcs have well-developed canine teeth for eating meat and short pointed ears that resemble those of a wolf orcish snouts and ears have a slightly pink tinge their eyes are human with a reddish tint that sometimes makes them appear to glow red when they reflect dim light sources in near darkness this is actually part of their optical system a pigment which gives them infravision male orcs are about 5u8c2bd to 6 feet tall females average 6 inches shorter than males orcs prefer to wear colors that most humans think unpleasant blood red rust red mustard yellow yellow green moss green greenish purple and blackish brown their armor is unattractive besides -- dirty and often a bit rusty orcs speak orcish a language derived from older human and elvish languages there is no common standard of orcish so the language has many dialects which vary from tribe to tribe orcs have also learned to speak local common tongues but are not comfortable with them some orcs have a limited vocabulary in goblin dm goblin hobgoblin dm hobgoblin and ogre dm ogre dialects combat combat combat orcs are constantly in battle they use the following weapons class wikitable sword and flail 5 - sword and spear 10 - axe and spear 10 - axe and polearm 10 - axe and crossbow 10 - axe and bow 10 - sword and battleaxe 5 - spear 10 - axe 10 - polearm 20 polearms are typically either halberds pikes set to receive charge or glaives leaders typically possess two weapons if a subchief is present there is a 40 chance the orcs will be fighting around a standard the presence of this standard increases attack rolls and morale by 1 for all orcs within 60 yards orcs typically wear studded leather armor and a shield ac 6 orcs hate direct sunlight and fight at -1 penalty to their attack rolls in sunlight their morale decreases by 1 under these circumstances as well orcs employ sniping and ambush tactics in the wild they do not obey the rules of war unless such is in their best interests; for example they will shoot at those who attempt to parlay with them under a white flag unless the orc leader feels it is advantageous to hear what the enemy has to say they abuse human rules of engagement and chivalry to their best advantage they have a historic enmity against elves and dwarves; many tribes will kill these demihumans on sight it is often believed that orcs are so bloodthirsty and cruel that they are ineffective tacticians and that they would rather be vicious than victorious like most stereotypes this is highly misleading; it is true for some orc tribes but not for all many orc tribes have waged wars for decades and have developed a frightening efficiency with battle tactics habitat society habitat society habitat society for every three orcs encountered there will be a leader and three assistants these orcs will have 8 hit points each being the meanest and strongest in the group if 150 orcs or more are encountered there will be the following additional figures with the band a subchief and 3-18 guards each with armor class 4 11 hit points and 1 damage due to strength on all attacks they fight as monsters of 2 hit dice thac0 19 for every 100 orcs encountered there will be either a shaman maximum 5th level priest or a witch doctor maximum 4th-level mage shamans and witch doctors gain an extra 1d4 hit points for each level above 1st and fight as a monster of 1 hit die for every two levels round fractions up of spell-casting ability e g a 5th-level shaman has d8 4d4 hit points and fights as a 3 hit dice monster if the orcs are not in their lair there is a 20 chance they will be escorting a train of 1-6 carts and 10-60 slave bearers bringing supplies loot or ransom and tribute to their orc chief or a stronger orc tribe the total value of the goods carried by all of the carts will vary between 10 and 1 000 silver pieces and each slave bearer will bear goods valued between 5 and 30 silver pieces if the orcs are escorting a treasure train double the number of leaders and assistants and add 10 orcs for each cart in the train; one subchief with 5-30 guards will always be in charge orc lairs are underground 75 of the time in a wilderness village 25 of the time orc communities range from small forts with 100-400 orcs to mining communities with 500-2 000 orcs to huge cities partially underground and partially above ground with 2 000 to 20 000 orcs there will always be additional orcs when the encounter is in a creature creature's lair a chief and 5-30 bodyguards ac 4 13-16 hit points attack as monsters with 3 hit dice thac0 17 and inflict an extra 2 damage on all attacks due to strength if the lair is underground there is a 50 chance that 2-5 ogres per 200 orcs will be living with them most lairs above ground are rude villages of wooden huts protected by a ditch log rampart and log palisade or more advanced constructions built by other races the village will have 1-4 watch towers and a single gate there will be one ballista and one catapult for every 100 adult male orcs orcs are aggressive they believe other species are inferior to them and that bullying and slavery is part of the natural order they will cooperate with other species but are not dependable as slaves they will rebel against all but the most powerful masters; as allies they are quick to take offense and break agreements orcs believe that battle is the ideal challenge but some leaders are pragmatic enough to recognize the value of peace which they exact at a high price if great patience and care are used orc tribes can be effective trading partners and military allies this attitude is not limited to non-orcs as great intertribal agressiveness exists amongst orcs as well among the major orcish tribes are the vile rune the bloody head the death moon the broken bone the evil eye the leprous hand the rotting eye and the dripping blade orcs value territory above all else; battle experience wealth and number of offspring are other major sources of pride orcs are patriarchal; women are fit only to bear children and nurse them orcs have a reputation for cruelty that is deserved but humans are just as capable of evil as orcs orcs have marriage customs but orc males are not noted for their faithfulness ecology ecology ecology orcs have an average lifespan of 40 years they have a gestation period of 10 months and produce two to three offspring per birth infant mortality is high orcs are carnivores but prefer game meats or livestock to demihumans and humanoids orcs are skilled miners who can spot new and unusual constructions 35 of the time and sloping passages 25 of the time they are also excellent weaponsmiths orogs orogs orogs elite orcs or orogs are the common names for those occasional orc- ogre dm ogre crossbreeds orogs range between 6 and 6u8c2bd feet tall they are highly disciplined warriors and have their own standards and banners which they display prominently &ndash; it is usually easy to tell when orogs are present among common orcs orogs can be found at the vanguard of large orc armies but rarely on patrol there is a 10 chance that an orc tribe will have orogs whose number equals 10 of the male population thus a community of 3 000 male orcs has a 10 chance of having 300 additional orogs orogs have 3 hit dice plate mail ac 3 and have a 3 strength bonus on damage dice half-orcs half-orcs half-orcs half-orcs most commonly arise in the border areas between human and orc cultures they tend to favor the orcish strain heavily and as such are basically orcs although 10 of these offspring can pass as ugly humans they are treated as humans with levels instead of hit dice half-orcs are distrusted by both human and orc cultures because they remind each of the other other's racial stock half-orcs advance in orc culture by flaunting their superior ability and in human culture by associating with people who don't care about appearance most tend toward neutrality with slight lawful and evil tendencies but lawful good half-orcs are not unknown half-orc settlements are not uncommon as they tend to be reject by both orcish and human society alternate stat blocks alternate stat blocks alternate stat blocks orcish leader and assistants  orcish leader and assistants  ac 6 10 ; mv 9 12 ; hd 1; hp 8; thac0 19; #at 1; dmg 1-8 by weapon ; sa nil; sd nil; sw sunlight; mr nil; sz m 6' tall ; ml steady 11-12 ; int average 8-9 ; al le; xp 35; mm281 sw &ndash; orcs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight orcish subchief and guards  orcish subchief and guards  ac 4 10 ; mv 9 12 ; hd 2; hp 11; thac0 18; #at 1; dmg 1-8 by weapon ; sa strength; sd nil; sw sunlight; mr nil; sz m 6' tall ; ml steady 11-12 ; int average 8-9 ; al le; xp 35; mm281 sa &ndash; 1 damage from strength on all attacks; sw &ndash; orcs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight orcish chief and bodyguards  orcish chief and bodyguards  ac 4 10 ; mv 9 12 ; hd 3; hp 13-16; thac0 17; #at 1; dmg 1-8 by weapon ; sa strength; sd nil; sw sunlight; mr nil; sz m 6' tall ; ml steady 11-12 ; int average 8-9 ; al le; xp 65; mm281 sa &ndash; 2 damage from strength on all attacks; sw &ndash; orcs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight orcish shaman  orcish shaman  ac 6 10 ; mv 9 12 ; hd varies; thac0 varies; #at 1; dmg 1-8 by weapon ; sa spell casting; sd nil; sw sunlight; mr nil; sz m 6' tall ; ml steady 11-12 ; int average 8-9 ; al le; xp 35-650; mm281 sa &ndash; orcish shamen serve as priests of up to 5th level with normal sphere selection they have 1 hd plus 1d4 hp for every level above first and they fight as a monster of 1 hit die for every two levels round fractions up ; sw &ndash; orcs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight orcish witch doctor  orcish witch doctor  ac 10; mv 9 12 ; hd varies; thac0 varies; #at 1; dmg 1-8 by weapon ; sa spell casting; sd nil; sw sunlight; mr nil; sz m 6' tall ; ml steady 11-12 ; int average 8-9 ; al le; xp 35-650; mm281 sa &ndash; orcish shaman serve as wizards of up to 4th level they have 1 hd plus 1d4 hp for every level above first and they fight as a monster of 1 hit die for every two levels round fractions up ; sw &ndash; orcs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight orog  orog  ac 3 10 ; mv 6 12 ; hd 3; thac0 17; #at 1; dmg 1-10 by weapon ; sa strength; sd nil; sw sunlight; mr nil; sz m 6' tall ; ml steady 11-12 ; int average 8-9 ; al le; xp 65; mm281 sa &ndash; 3 damage from strength on all attacks; sw &ndash; orogs suffer a -1 to to-hit rolls and morale checks in direct sunlight 